


Black, White - and Everything in Between

by Starwannawrite



Category: Servamp (Anime & Manga)
Genre: AU, Additional non-cannon creatures, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Sorcerers, Sorceresses, Supernatural - Freeform, Suspense, vampire
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25107904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starwannawrite/pseuds/Starwannawrite
Summary: The war ends in a vague win against Tsubaki and his subclasses. Just when they think that peace will finally get established, the subclasses of Melancholy decide to go berserk. As the Servamp-Eve pairs find their hands full keeping them under wraps and not letting C3 do something too harsh, they receive unexpected help from  unknown quarters. But is it help or something else?The person seems to attack subclasses without any hesitation, after all...Rumours.Sightings.Witnesses.Legends.Lies.An unusual street name- can is it be a warning of some kind? Why does everyone say that the being is stronger than the Servamp siblings? Might the stranger be an ally or threat?What significance does that ebony Japanese hand fan have?What does Tsubaki know that even they don't?Is the Servamp of Melancholy hiding something important... and personal?
Relationships: Hyde | Lawless/Licht Jekylland Todoroki, Surprise relationships!
Kudos: 10





	1. What a pain...

**Author's Note:**

> I probably rated this T due to some swearing, bloodshed and fight scenes.

Evening light quietly crept into the foggy, deserted part of the city. It was more close to night actually but still, a ghostly, whitish light clung to the streets - streets themselves quite invisible amid the heavy fog blanketing the road. The fog was strange - wet and creamish - clinging and clawing at every bit of the deserted streets, pulling at each lone and hurrying passerby, as if it didn't want them to leave. Every now and then narrow alleys and by-lanes snaked away from the main road and disappeared to God knew where. There were no people on the streets, which wasn't exactly surprising in this part of the city. What was surprising, however, was the visible silhouette of two figures walking in the haze - or rather, one was walking; the other was being dragged along.

A grunt sliced through the thick fog, "Would you stand UP?" The owner of the voice asked the non-responding 'teen' he had been dragging along the road till then. Tired-looking red eyes looked up to his own brown ones, letting loose a drawn-out yawn. Mahiru huffed when he saw his prisoner's expression and dumped him on the road unceremoniously, but kept a tight hold on his jacket in case he tried to run.  
"Why are you acting like this?" Though it was true that his Servamp wasn't the most active of the lot – what else do you expect from the Servamp of Sloth? – he certainly was acting too lazy for his Eve's liking. It was almost as if he was reluctant to come.  
The other just rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly, but didn't move from the place where Mahiru had dropped him.

"Can't deal."  
"With what?"  
"...We have been walking for sooo long..."  
"NO." Mahiru half-shouted at his stubborn companion, " **I** walked. You sat on my shoulder for the first part and now are being shamelessly dragged around just because you won't move on your own, you lazy cat!"  
The other merely shrugged, "Meh, walking's a pain..."  
"No, you are!" The other's replies were slowly getting on his last nerves.  
The vampire turned his face sideways, away from a fuming Mahiru, "Gee, what a pain you are…"  
"The feeling's mutual."  
The Servamp proceeded to roll himself up into a very cat-like ball in his humanoid form only, "I just wanted a break, but you **had** to drag me into this…"  
Mahiru's eyebrow twitched in irritation, "You're always on break, Kuro – it's not as if you have a ton of part-time jobs like Hyde-kun does. You are, simply put, the ideal definition of NEET. Also, we're in this together. So quit whining."

A sudden wail sounded from far away – or was it somewhere close by? – and echoed away eerily into the near-empty alleys. Mahiru shivered ever so slightly, "W-we should see where that sound c-came from…?" The Servamp of Sloth shook himself out of his Eve's now slackened grip and stood up slowly, yawning, "Dunno." He squinted at the mysterious blanket of fog around them and hesitantly put out his hand, watching the white 'puffs', if you can call them that, immediately rush towards the offered hand and then drift away, apparently disappointed. Mahiru, on the other hand, angrily swatted at them.  
"What's with this strange fog? It would be much simpler if this fog would have not been here and we could see properly."

"It's jinn."

"Say what?"

"It's that white, wispy stuff you saw coming out of Lawless's -"

"I know what jinn is, duh." Mahiru interrupted, his insides churning at the mere thought of the substance Servamps as well as their subclasses turned into when they die, or worse, get broken. But in such a huge quantity? Who knows how many subclasses died to make such a thick fog of jinn… Mahiru glanced at his Servamp, who seemed to have had given up on the notion of standing upright by then and indecently sprawled on the crumbling pavement. He had come so close to breaking himself, that lazy ball of fur – so close to turning into jinn… Mahiru quickly abandoned that particular line of thought. It would be much simpler if he didn't have a mental breakdown before finding the person they were looking for in this godforsaken part of the city. But it was spooky nonetheless…

"This place looks haunted."

"Eh?" The vampire looked up in confusion.

"This," Mahiru indicated all around him, "part of the city seems to be the residence of ghosts. Simply put, it's creepy."

"I dunno… this place looks real comfy."

"Comfy for what?" Mahiru asked incredulously.

Kuro shifted into his cat form and leaped onto Mahiro's head, of all places - catching him by surprise and almost throwing him off-balance, "Napping."

"Oh." Of course. The only thing Kuro ever wanted in life. Did he even think about anything else other than ramen noodles and happy sleep? Mahiru felt a slight twinge of jealousy. Wait, _was he feeling jealous from a **pillow** now?!_ Mahiru shook his head in mild amusement. Maybe he needed to catch on the much needed sleep Kuro was recently grilling him about… or maybe it was something else. Whatever. Kuro yawned again and turned back into his humanoid form, eyeing his surroundings from underneath heavy eyelids, "This place looks, I dunno, sorta forgotten? If I get a cozy bed to sleep here, everyone will forget me and I will be able to sleep for all eternity." Kuro looked almost dreamy. Mahiru resisted the sudden impulse to cuff him on the head. But, Kuro was right about one thing. The place looked forgotten, to say the very least. "It looks like an illusion… as if it is slowly disappearing into the shadows. A place for forgotten and depressed souls who get removed from our memories as time goes by." Mahiru murmured to himself.

"Heard ya." Damn it. He didn't want Kuro to hear what he said right then. Kuro sure had the hearing of a cat, albeit a lazy one. Kuro yanked half-heartedly at the hood of his blue jacket and tried to hide in the cat's ear-shaped fur sticking out. _He looks sort of fidgety_ , Mahiru realized. Also, he had been regularly shifting forms, as if he was unsure about how to react to their surroundings. _I guess that I am not the only one nervous…_ Kuro flicked back a piece of blue hair, "That's because all the neglected and rogue subclasses end up here."

"Eh?"

"Ya, that's why there's so much jinn in the air here."

So they were in the Vampire Capital of Depression, looking for… who again? No idea. Lovely. Kuro sat down again, "Care to remind me what are we doing here?" _I would like to know that as well_ , Mahiru mused, _only that we have been practically rushed here by Old Child_. "If only we knew who we are looking for," Mahiru grumbled under his breath, "it would be much more simple."

Kuro snorted in response.

"What?"

"Nothing's ever simple around you Mahiru…"

Mahiru whirled around, "What do you **mean**? I am the simplest person you have ever met!"

"Ya sure."

"Kuro… what do you mean?"

The sleepy Servamp stretched his arms above his head and muttered, "You are so stupid that I could die…"


	2. How... Did This Happen?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A meeting of Servamps and their Eves is held. Everyone assembles in a dark room.  
> And chaos ensues...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happens before the incidents in chapter 1.

**_One day before:_ **

The room was dark, probably due to the curtains blocking out any sunlight. Eight figures surrounded the table, their faces shadowed. Silence prevailed.

The shortest of them all stood up and looked around once, then nodded in satisfaction. 

"All of us are here, right?" He didn't wait for a response. That would be a mistake with these guys. "Good. Today we have gathered here for deliberation on an important issue-"

He was interrupted by a rather loud sound from under the table, followed by a whiny voice.

"Ow! That hurt!"

_BANG!_

"Shut up, demon."

Well, they started anyway. Inevitable, if you ask me.

"But Licht-tan, didn't you kick me just now?"

"You dare to accuse an angel such as myself of such lowly things?"

"Wha- no fair~"

"I said SHUT UP, you shit rat!"

"OUCH!" 

There were sounds of shuffling and now the Eve of Greed was most likely standing on his Servamp's face. 

But well, there was practically no light - so it could be some other part too. Who knows. 

"Do not be mistaken! An angel such myself has come to this land solely to eradicate demonic scum like you! Do not forget," He put up his hands in that weird wing pose he gives now and then, "I'm an angel."

At the violent angel's proclamation, the Servamp of Greed expertly wriggled out from under his Eve's boots and started acting like some crazy fanboy, "Yes, the one and only Tenshi-chan! The most pure, handsome and talented angel who purifies EVERYONE with his music! The- ACK!"

"Shut it, demon."

The purple haired boy leant towards his Servamp, "I don't think I want to know where Licht put his boots NOW."

"Me neither, Misono."

The Greed pair continued, oblivious to anything else. 

"Die, you stupid demon - and go straight to HELL!"

"WAAAAHHHH!!!"

The blue haired Servamp half-opened his eyes, then closed them again, "So noisy..." He leant against his Eve.

"Kuro, sit straight!"

"Ugh, can't deal." He yawned, "Let me sleep."

A few irk marks appeared on his Eve's forehead, "Then get yourself a pillow, you lazy cat!"

Kuro sighed, "Too much work... will you get it for me?" 

"NO!"

"C'mon, aren't _you_ the Housewife?" Kuro mumbled.

Mahiru's eye twitched, "What did you **say**?"

"Nothing much- hah?" He looked up to see Lawless sprawled on him.

Licht leapt over the table and looked worriedly at Kuro. "Are you hurt, Neko-san?"

"No."

"I didn't break your back, did I? Nii-san~?"

"No..."

"That's good to hear!" 

"You..." Licht now turned his rage towards his grinning Servamp.

He picked Lawless up by the collar of his shirt and shook him furiously, "You stupid hedgehog! How dare you fall on him!"

"But Licht-tan, you were the one who pushed me," He dodged a kick from the infuriated angel, "And then I lost balance and fell on brother Sloth..."

"Shut up! You should be more careful!"

"And shouldn't you be more considerate of your one and only pet hedgehog? _Ten~shi~chan~_ "

"DIE!" Licht kicked Lawless across the room, barely missing Misono's head. Their fighting resumed.

The others were too mesmerised to intervene. Especially when the glowing boots came into play.

* * *

***Sometime later***

"As entertaining as this is," The blond Servamp smiled uneasily, still watching the Greed pair going at each other, "If they keep this up, then they might break the furniture or put holes in the walls of this room."

"Really?" The owner of the new voice entered - carrying a tray with a towel thrown across his shoulders, "That could be a problem."

"Tetsu!"

"Sendagaya!"

"What's there in your tray?"

"Hello everyone. Green tea and some Anmitsu."

"... do you have Ramen?"

"No, we don't have Ramen here, sorry."

"What a pain... do you have any fluffy pillows?"

"Kuro!" 

"Ow..." The sleepy vampire rubbed the place on his head where his Eve had hit him, "What?"

"Can't you think of anything else except eating and sleeping?"

"Uh... what else is there to think about?"

>sigh< "Forget that I asked."

"No prob."

Tetsu quickly caught a random piece of wood that came flying his way, "What's going on here... Hugh?"

The child-sized Servamp looked as if he was about to cry, "My Pride has been hurt!" He announced aloud. 

"How come?"

"I was just about to introduce the topic for today's meeting when the Greed pair started fighting!" He pointed his finger towards the rambling duo, "Kick them out, Tetsu!"

"But," Tetsu spared the fighting duo a worried glance, "Wouldn't that be impolite behaviour with our guests?"

"Now now." The Servamp of Lust tried to pacify them, "It's not been too much time..."

His Eve looked angry, "It's been a frickin' 15 minutes since they started!"

"But Misono," He smiled, "If you compare that with how many years all of us siblings have been alive, then 15 minutes seems less than a second- "

"But I haven't been alive for _centuries_!"

Kuro rolled onto his stomach and regarded them with tired eyes, " Not relevant, Shorty-kun. Instead," He transformed into his cat form and waved his tail like a banner, "Be inspired from my cuteness and stop fighting!"

I think you all can imagine everyone sweatdropping.

Strange thing is, it seemed to work.

"Neko-san! You're so cute..." Licht stepped on his Servamp's back and walked onto the table to scoop Kuro up. 

"Hey!" Misono yelled, "It's impolite to stand on a table!" Licht ignored him, but stepped down anyway. "Did we disturb you, Neko-san?" He worriedly asked the tired-looking cat.

"Too much noise. Can't deal." Kuro answered with the enthusiasm of a snail.

"I'm so sorry! It's all that shit rat's fault." He glared at Lawless.

"Waah, no fair! I want to be cuddled by Licht-tan too!" He transformed back into his hedgehog form, "I'm cute too. Hug meee!!!"

"Back off, demon. You're not even close to Neko-san's level of cuteness." Licht kicked him back into the wall. 

Kuro looked up, "Don't... fight. Can't deal."

"Okay, Neko-sama."

 _Sama?_ Mahiru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _Stop spoiling my Servamp so much. Kuro seems to be on cloud nine._ He looked at Lawless, who seemed to be having a heartbreak in the corner.

"Don't feel bad, Hyde." Mahiru gently smiled as he picked him up, "You are a cute Nezumi-san, that's for sure."

>sniff< "Y-you t-think s-so?"

"Yeah." Mahiru came and sat down by the table, holding Hyde.

Kuro looked up to see Lawless looking smug in Mahiru's arms. _What's he doing there?_ He squinted at them. _Hm. Sure looks comfy._ _I should be there... instead of that hedgehog._

He sighed. _What a pain._

Licht regarded Mahiru with curious eyes, "Now why would you want to pet that **demon**?" He seemed slightly wary of how Mahiru was holding Hyde, as if he was afraid that he might accidently let the hedgehog fall down.

 _Is he concerned?_ _After kicking me around for **so** long, now is when he remembers that I'm still recovering? _Hyde grinned, "Licht-tan, Kuro's a **demon** too, you know?"

"Shut it."

_So he is worried but won't accept that. Stupid angel pride._

Mahiru thoughtfully rubbed Hyde's ears, "If you think about it, Licht-kun... Hyde is pretty cute too."

"No way. His quills can prick you. They're really sharp."

"Yeah, but his ears are soft - and he looks kind of cute with that button nose of his..." Mahiru trailed off.

Hyde smugly grinned inside. _Tenshi-chan seems to be in a dilemma right now. Uh-oh._ He chanced a look at his older brother. _He... isn't going to go on a rampage now, is he?_

 _That's it._ Kuro sat up. _I'm going to go claim back my territory._

He nimbly worked his way out of of Licht's firm hold and landed on Mahiru's head with an _oof!_

"Neko-san?!"

"K-kuro?" 

The cat in question ignored the humans and instead stared at his brother hedgehog, who was currently hogging _his_ place.

"Heh heh, I think I'll go claim _my_ territory then." He winked at Kuro (Can hedgehogs wink? I don't know XD) and leisurely trotted back into his Eve's lap. 

Licht scoffed and muttered a 'stupid shit-rat' under his breath, but didn't push him away. He began to slowly scratch one of his pet hedgehog's little ears as an afterthought.

This was a new development. Licht has been petting Hyde more since their fight with _**HIM**_. _Wonder what changed. Or who._

Mahiru was still shocked by the turn of events. "Kuro?" He asked again.

The black cat looked him up and down, then grumbled, "You're so stupid that I could die..."

He climbed onto the table and padded to Mahiru's spot, then flopped to his back in front of him. 

"Pet me."

* * *

***A few moments later***

"Please try not to harm anything in this room. This is our best room, and if you wreck it," Tetsu crossed his arms, "Father will not allow us to hold any meetings here again."

"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll see to it that this shit rat-"

"But you were the one who-OW!"

" -stays under control and doesn't wreck havoc again."

"Good. Now that all is over and done with, and since we have already wasted a great deal of time, shall we officially start the meeting?"

"Please do, Old Child."

"Thank you, All of Love."

"Start already! Meh, what a pain..." Kuro mumbled aloud, yawning from his seat of honor in his Eve's lap.

_**Now this is from where the real story begins.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are thinking that Kuro, Hyde, Mahiru and Licht were acting pretty strangely, there's are reasons why.  
> 1\. Kuro is highly protective of Mahiru. Also, felines are territorial, especially predator cats (thinking of a particular black lion?) and often deem their owners as part of their territory.  
> 2\. After the fight with Tsubaki, the Eves naturally became more caring and wary of any harm coming to their Servamps. Particularly Licht and Tetsu. Just think of what they had to go through when their Servamps were battling for life?  
> 3\. The Servamps also became possessive because, you know, the existence of Tsubaki inspires such reactions?


	3. A Camellia's Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What did he think of, as he left the Sloth pair? What were his thoughts as he told his subclass to live a life without him?  
> Why did the Servamp of Melancholy choose to run away? Was he really quitting, or did he have some reason for doing so?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if the time skips are slightly confusing for you people. This story just happens to be like that, with a lot of flashbacks and time jumps.

**~One month ago~**

I leapt from one roof to another with befitting grace and speed, striving to put as much distance between myself and the Black Lion and his Eve as possible. My subclasses were still scattered out there, but I trusted them to be able to protect themselves from any future harm and maybe even be able to lead normal lives, now that I was gone from their lives.

_I wonder what Sensei would say if he saw me right now._ The thought made me stop in my tracks. Tsubaki. The Servamp of Melancholy. The only weapon capable of killing the Servamps - Running away.

How anticlimactic.

I turned back and admired the amount of chaos I had been able to plunge the city in. The Tokyo World Tree Hotel (What a stupid name?!) was a complete wreck. It looked somewhat like how our Minka had looked after the Black Lion attacked... no, our Minka was literally torn apart - down to the last piece of wood. 

**[A/N: 'Minka' is the name for traditional Japanese houses.]**

I looked at that crumbling hotel. Though nothing remained of the building's former pathetic glory, at least it was not crushed into the ground. Where's the fun in that? 

The roof was in shambles. Yet, those humans were still streaming out of its half-broken doors - rescuing and being rescued as if their miserable lives mattered.

Now what will happen? Those irritating people from media will swarm over and try to make a fuss out of it, then C3 will cover it up with some ridiculous lies like localised earthquakes or bad construction work. What an impaired sense of imagination! I smirked. In the end, the blame will be pinned on some clueless third party, a compromise will be reached and everything will be forgotten the next day. Those self-centered dimwits will just go about their all-important daily routine, never getting to know that one of the most epic battles of all time had been just fought here this day. 

Not interesting at all.

Well, it's not as if I'm running away from a fight. That would be uninteresting and completely out of character for me. After all, I'm just one pawn in Sensei's grand schemes. Or was.

I looked up towards the sky. _No Sensei, I'm not running away._ I may have lost this fight, but the war awaits. But before that, I need to know something.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" A sudden laugh erupted from my throat as I remembered the time when that pesky human unlocked my memories with that key of his. Mahiru Shirota, right? What an interesting person.

When we first met, I saw that he was another of those determined people devoted to something. Hah, I have seen these kinds getting all types of harsh treatment and mockery from the world. They always lose someone they love the most because they were too stubborn to think that the world's all fair and just.

Take my subclasses, for example. After they were initiated into this second chance at life, there was something I asked from all of them.

_"Say, tell me something interesting."_

I still remember their responses.

Sakuya: Interesting, huh? How about this - I am the world's biggest liar, who absolutely hates lying! I don't want to anymore, but since they told me to - I'm still lying every day, every hour, every damned second! I'm an accomplice to my sister's murder because I lied to support her murderers! Now tell me, weird Japanese old man (I'm **not** _old_ , by the way) how much of that was a lie?

Higan: I can tell you how much time it takes for human hair to completely burn up. Interesting, right? Nothing remains, everything turns into ash! Fascinating... like a painting that rots and falls away with time, ignored by all. Say, would you like one small demonstration from this artistic forgetful old man?

Otogiri: In... interesting? Finding something like that... could be a problem. Well... I guess I'm good with strings... and puppets... and Mahjong, maybe? All of us are puppets, after all.

Shamrock: Interesting? If Young Master demands it, then I shall give my all! (Stop calling me Young Master already.) Young Master's wish is my command! (Ne, Shamrock - did you even hear what I said?) Betrayal... comes easy in this world. No one is trust-worthy. NO ONE. Everyone is going to leave you alone, when you need them the most. But you didn't! I'm so indebted to you, Young Master. (>sigh<)

Berkia: Interesting? Interesting?? INTERESTING??? Hehehe, Tsubaki-kun~... nah, Tsubakkyun is hilarious! The fact that you're standing before the world's best, undiscovered as of now but extraordinarily talented street magician - isn't that the most interesting? And to prove my point, I shall now proceed with a special, limited edition skewering show just for my new vampire family!!! Any volunteers~?

I had ensured that none of them got fatally injured and also healed those who were, like Sakuya and Higan.

My speed slackened as I remembered how Sakuya threw himself in between that Eve and myself and got himself impaled, as a result. My face twitches. Stupid boy doing stupid things. Gave me a good scare there. Honestly, kids these days...

He cares too much about that brat, though the other seems to care about Sakuya as well... I shook my head in amusement. It was a right move to walk out of their lives. Now their life might get more interesting than before, after all. Fufufu...

Sakuya might return to that school where Mahiru studies. That would be interesting. I think he had two other (human) friends there too.

Shamrock would probably take it hard. He's loyal and a tad too much caring at times. I really wish that he would stop calling me 'young master'. It sounds stupid.

Higan's a bit of a loose cannon and easily the strongest of my subclasses. He's a good fellow, it's just that he has an obsession with fire. I remember how he set my yukata on fire right after I revived him. That was rather funny... but not for my subclasses. I hope the others can keep him under control.

Otogiri might get into puppet shows. She's always been interested about those, and she sure has the talent. We've many times been entertained by her shows. Though, someone needs to tell her that giving her audience the silent treatment and portraying 'The Heroic Death of the Zombie Warrior' every time will eventually thin out her crowd and scare away the children. My younger subclasses would always freak out during her shows and stay awake for nights, many times asking me to stay by their side until they fell asleep. Otogiri can even make 'The Three Little Pigs' look scary.

Lilac... my face twitched at how unsettled he had seemed when he tossed Lawless's contract item to me. (On a side note, seriously? Who gives a dog tag to a hedgehog?) Lilac and others like him can take up normal jobs - since sunlight doesn't affect them - and live better lives.

As for Berkia... hm. It's difficult to say. He's my most interesting subclass, after all. Not the strongest, or the wisest either - have you ever seen him play Mah-Jongg?! - but certainly the most interesting and unpredictable. Still, I can guess that he'll probably-

"Yo! Tsubakkyun~"

That voice. I swerved around, startled.

"Are you trying to DESERT US?!" He looked pissed off, which is rare for him. I searched behind him. 

"It's just me."

I heaved a sigh of relief. Explaining to so many people would be absolutely uninteresting and harrowing. I looked at my pink-haired subclass, then tilted my head.

"What are you doing here? Didn't Sakuya told you all that you all are free to do whatever you want?"

The pinkette hesitated, "He did-"

"THEN?" 

For the first time in his new life, Berkia was being uninteresting.

"I'm doing what I want to do, Tsubakkyun!" He balanced himself on the antenna of a nearby house, then chanted, " Free to do whatever you want, free to do whatever you want, free to-"

"AHAHAHA- not interesting enough." I narrowed my eyes at him. He tried to stand up on one leg but broke the antenna and fell down, jumping up the next moment with a grin on his face. Is he a street magician or a clown?

"An exceptional show of talent, coming right up! The viewer fees is one sword through your heart. Just one sword, ladies and gentlemen! Just one-" He paused abruptly, "Tsubakkyun, you'll choke."

I coughed and turned my face on one side, painfully aware of his grin. No matter how angry I get, Berkia always manages to crack me up. But, I didn't want to encourage him right now, so I tried to hide my laughter... and failed. Composing myself once more, I turned at him and adapted a fake cheerful voice, "Ne, Berkia - why are you following me around anyway? Don't you want to do street performances, now that you're free?"

"Um..." He tapped his chin and pretended to think very hard, "That's because... TA-DA! You're my most precious and appreciative audience!" He pouted, "You're the only one who ever volunteers in my performance or pays the fees, Tsu-Tsu~"

_That's because anyone else will likely die a most tragically tortured death from your favorite skewering part of the performance._

As for me, I think it's unique and interesting.

But sometimes the sword tickles too much.

"AHAHA- How did you find me?" I had deliberately taken a scattered route through the city so as to throw off anyone who could be following me. The fact that Berkia found me so quickly is slightly unsettling.

"Tsubakkyun, you're forgetting something~" He pulled out three swords from his hat and started to juggle them, "If I can tell when you're nearby, or far away, what does that say?"

He pulled out a plaque out of nowhere.

"Option A: You smell. 

Option B: You have a tracker fitted on you. 

Option C: You smell too much!"

"I..."

"The correct option, ladies and gentlemen!" He caught all three swords and grinned, "Is Option D: I can always make out your location. No matter where you go, I can easily find out wherever you are. Why? Cause I," He put the swords up and made an X, "Am the world's best street performer!"

I covered my face with the sode (the longer sleeve),"Are you trying to the imitate Greed's Eve - that deluded angel-wannabe?"

"How can you make such a claim? All of my performances are entirely original and unique to my style!" He pouted.

_Could have fooled anybody._

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" I wiped away the non-existent tears, "You're too amusing, Beru-Beru~"

"Also, Tsubakkyun - there's something else." He jumped up and turned into a doll, startling me into catching it.

"And that is?"

"That is," The doll flopped its arms and sang out in its high-pitched voice, "Tsu-tsu doesn't remember... where she lived."

I stopped and dropped it on the hard cement.

"Ow! Meanie." Berkia transformed back and looked at me with curious eyes, "It's true, isn't it? You don't remember where we found Yucchan."

"I..." I looked away.

"Tell me, Tsubakkyun," He stooped down to my level, painfully reminding me of just how much shorter I am than him, "HOW WILL YOU LOOK FOR SOMEONE WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START LOOKING?!"

"Uh..." Good question.

"Seriously? You didn't think about that?" He grinned and threw a sword in my direction, which I caught easily, "What will you do without me, Tsu-Tsu~"

"You're so irritating, Beru-Beru." I gave him a grin of my own, "I guess I have no choice but to let you tag along."

"YAY~"

"One question, though."

"Heh?" He tilted his head, "What is it, Tsubakkyun?"

"How did you make out what I was intending to do?" I prided myself for being unpredictable and the fact that Berkia was able to predict my motive was very disturbing and hardly interesting.

"Well well WELL! What a naive- er, I mean good question! Ladies and gentlemen, may I hear a loud round of applause!" He put a hand to his ear and twirled around, grinning as if hearing some imaginary clapping, "Yes yes YES! The answer to your question can be divided into four parts:

1\. You didn't kill that Shirota brat.

2\. You were staring at the sloth pair somewhat _longingly_.

3\. Part of your memory resurfaced. You remembered someone, and something - because your face was doing weird things. Like softening and smiling and stuff.

4\. I am your first subclass. I know you inside out."

I blanched at the third point. And smirked at the fourth one. "Ne ne Berkia, that's just too intimidating. You know, sometimes you frighten me even more than Sakuya does."

"Is that SO~"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA- forget I said that. It's not interesting at all." I dodged another of his skewering attempts, "And stop playing around, please~"

We walked - well, one hopped - in companionable silence.

"Look, Tsu-Tsu - the place where that nice human makes sushi!" Berkia jumped up and down, "Let's go have some~"

"Even though I find that notion utterly tempting, we can't."

"What? Why????" Berkia whined, "Let's go in already!!!!"

"My subclasses as well as the Servamp pairs know very well that I come here often. What does that tell you, Berkia?"

"WAAAHHHH NOOO SUSHIIIII!!!!!" He wailed.

"When did _you_ get this passionate about sushi?" Last time I remember, he was making faces at the conveyor belt.

"But, you like sushi - don't you?"

I didn't reply.

He continued, "Hey wait, I just remembered! That place had a decent sushi shop too!"

"Eh?"

"Don't you remember? Geez Tsubakkyun, your memory's really bad!" He poked my forehead, "Are you really getting old?"

I swatted away his hand, "For the last time, Berkia, I'm not ol-"

"You forgot?" He cut in rather rudely for my liking, "Wait - you REALLY FORGOT?!"

Tch. Always so dramatic.

"So what if I did?" I asked irritatedly, hand twitching already to find a stick (or sword) and give the pink-haired idiot a good beating.

"So you don't remember when she made a face after tasting the tuna-topped sushi, then got curious and asked for seconds?"

Who makes a face at sushi? It's heaven wrapped in nori (seaweed).

"Or when she accidently threw a plate at you after your attempt of sneaking up to her?" He just stared at me, "I... I don't get this." 

"Beru-Beru..." My eyes widened, vivid pictures flooding in my mind.

"How can you just-"

"Be quiet for once."

He immediately shut up. I sighed and leaned my face into my hands, feeling burdened after a long, long time. These few years, I was only focused on protecting my subclasses and planning the war which ended a few minutes ago. I forgot...

"Why didn't you remind me before?" I looked at him, my aura darkening.

"I..." He gulped, "I did, Tsubakkyun. You were always either too busy or ignoring me."

After the fight with Sleepy Ash, I had this strange urge to find someone without wasting a second. And now, my mind was swimming in all the new information.

Voices.

Laughter.

Sobs.

Streaks of color.

Gunshots.

A smiling face.

I leapt up to a building's roof, making Berkia yelp a 'wait for me!' behind me.

Hm, looks like you released a dam of suppressed memories by mistake, Mahiru Shirota. You're such an interesting human. Let's see how this affects our respective destinies - twisting it like a snake.

_This is going to be too interesting for me. Can't wait..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's the person Tsubaki remembers now? Why is he so eager to find him/her? Do comment what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> The story continues...


End file.
